The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-20

and the porch caves for key.board--when
noise under the window awoke him. He recol-
lected instantly where he was and why.
"Gervasl" he whispered.
Eyes! heard it! Histw came back in the |
same key.
The rustic of the bed-coverings as they sat mp |
right was audible in the dark room. Someone |
was walking the porch with steps that Jagged |
and auickened oddly. Sometimes they stopped |
entirely while might count ten twenty. |
The rhythmic patter of the falling floods accent
uated by contrast the unevenness of the tramp. |
tramp. from end to end Of the wet floor. Sud-
denly the dragging feet halted at the front door,
locks ratified hinges creaked; the footsteps came
STUN blingly to the threshold of the drawing
room; a hand fumbled with the knob.
The friends heard each the others breath
sharply held, as the door swung back and some
body entered. There was brief pause; the
throbbing hearts of the listeners, themselves
unseen in the dense darkness, as was the in
truder, outbeat the rain pour without to their
strained senses, each gathering himself up for
a spring so soon as the trespasser should strike
light.
Instead of this, he walked heavily, but steadi-
w. as if nerved by deliberate purpose across the
Aoor 20 the corner where stood the niano. There
they were as sure of it as If they had seen the
action-he dropped upon his knees A long,
broken sigh shuddered through the gloom. an
articulated sob, burdened with word they did
not catch, but which they believed was name,
followed by horrid, sickenng gurgle-a dull
thud-a hollow, human groan.
The young men bounded from their couches
and CROPPED in frenzied clumsiness for matches.
The blue light snapped. fzzled, grew red, then
clear.
1.-THE candle!' gasped Gervas, shaking, as with
palsy
AS the wick caught, they turned for the first
time in the direction from which the horror had
leaped upon them. The cover of the closed
piano was smooth: chairs, a foot-stool and
lamp-stand were as they left them on going to
bed. There was no PROSTATE figure other
Gil Of
another's eyes in the abashment of guilt,
they explored the room and hall with lights
The polished floor Of the latter was dry and
clean the outer door locked and barred.
"Yet could have sworn that his boots were
soaked with wet" whispered Gervas, fearfully.
s'They had the sodden sound of muddy soles."
With the same queer, cowed dread of they
knew not what upon them. they stole back on
tip-toe to the drawing room, made up the fire.
and, sitting by it, smoked and talked until the
dim daylight of wild rainy morning slid in at
the windows
In all these hours of agitated conference they
arrived at but one conclusion. The awful secret
should be kept until such time they could
furnish solution with the mystery. To delicate
women and superstitious servants Round Hill
would be intolerable were they to suspect who
stalked visible and invisible, through the house
at his own evil will.
Shv had been Mrs Speed for year, when
her husband received letter from her brother.
| addressed TO his Office and marked ''Confden-
| tial"
81 have found key that fits the lock-" wrote
| the brave young fellow "but the darkness on
the other side of the open door is thicker than
| that in which we have CROPPED so long.
LAS you know. have frowned or laughed
| down the hints the negroes have dropped OF
| mysterious noises, lights, shapes, etc, which
| nave made the stoutest-hearted of them afraid
| to move about the house alone after dark. But,
| privately and as Gexterously as possible, l have
| instituted inquiries far and near as to former
residents of Round Hill. My father bought the
| plantation from Thomas Hobson who purchased
it from the executors of By ars Moseley, deceased
| in 1915 unmarried. The TWO plantations imme-
diately adjoining ours have changed owners
| twice in the last forty years. No
| body hereabouts seems to know anything
| of the tenancy of the house prior to the date
| have given. Only, several fair damsels have in
| formed me, with pretty shlvers and mouse-like
| squeaks. that the place certainly is haunted.
and that they wouldn't live here for any thing.
| II have no immediate intention OF tempting them
| to forswear themselves
| Last week. am coming to it now-business
called me to Chesterfield. on the frontier OF
| what we Powhatanites style The Yellow Jacket
country / took dinner with my client, and
met his father, who is eighty years of age. On
learning where lived, the old fellow frightened
I'D amazingly and began to chat of the neigh
| borhood, as he knew it when young man. He
| was horn it appeared on the Round Hill estate.
| his father having been Byars Moseleys overseer.
! The rest will try to set down exactly as he
told it.
"He come into mighty fine prop'ty when S
| father died Bvars Mosey did, an he run
| through it faste'n his best horse would a
| went, sub! Driukin' n cyard playin n horses.
| n the Lord knows what else WAS a gcin' on the
| whole time nights s we'll IS day. He was
| gagged to be married, too, arter a while, to a
mighty fine CURL over'n Gooshlan A Miss Fan
| nv Cyarter Even that didn't stiddy him long.
Sech cyarryins-on s was in that ar house,
| specially the nights arter powtan boat day
would "a made decent folks hyar stan on end
| nh Eor all n hat in he IN
| the Teller to save your life. He hadn't an inmy
in tn world 'thout twas hisself. S for Miss
Fanny Cyarter she fyarly worshiped him, I've
heerd tell Ennvhow, she wouldn': marry him
but nuther would she give MIN up for nigh 'por
ten years. Said she wouldn' take drunkari
nor gambler, but she'd never take hur word
back. nor marry nobody else.
| Ya-as, sub. / said ten year. m he didn'
git no younger nor richer m all time you may bt
sure He turned gray powerful fas but he los
money faster He were very dark completed
had French blood in him-quality blood o thu
bes' r. teen hear tell-an had jit hla k hyar
got eray'n 'tother didn'. He use to says how
all his brains had settled n one side o s haid
1t give him kind o outandsh look, though
"'Well, things got wuss n wuss. till it come t,
selin off s race bosses. then niger or two
That cut him up nightly His niggers was po
werful fond o him. He never laid lick or ONT
on 'em when he wus sober, N eff he teched
whip to 'em when he had good haid O. LIQUOR il
he'd pitch EN- money by the hanful mex day
''fur to mint the Sores" he'd say.
"'One evenin' he come home by hisself 'Twa
of Monday-Decemberc oat-day, 1 reklect, n
{ he'd been way moren a fortnit. Part O. tn
time It Mr. Quarters in Gooshlan'. They d
says how Miss Fanny scarded him. then, f. goo
| n all bein' fyar wore ont, poor girl! an no won
der. with s dispated ways. Ennyhow. he'
stopped Sat'day night t Paw'tan Courthouse. II
sot up all nj ht n all Sunday N most all o Sun
, day night playin' guards upstairs in the taver,
with some Richmon' gamblers N when he lei
} the coat house they got his money. every cent O
it. N his plantation IA niggers, m his watch y
8 horses. He had to foot it all the nine mile
|